I found the plot of this book very slow and laboured. I like a thriller to be fast moving, a page turner and unfortunately I did not find this book to be to my liking.

This book has one of the most unusual perpetrator motives and behaviour I have ever read. I nearly felt sorry for the person responsible for the abductions. The novel is fast paced and well written with all the loose ends tied up very neatly by the end. The only part of the novel that I found a bit odd was at the end when there is a summary of the main characters personal lives (told from their view points) which didn't fit with the tone of the rest of the novel.

The Taken Girls is slow moving crime procedural mystery. I found it overlong and the slow pace made it difficult to connect with the story.

1st in the DI Edina Ogborne series. An enjoyable read, looking forward to the 2nd book in the series
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

D I Ed Ogborne is sidelined from the Met to the fairly small town of Canterbury in Kent where she immediately finds herself in charge of the team charged with locating the person kidnapping young girls only to release them shortly afterwards with a little something extra. This is a story with a difference, a bit strange, no violence and the one doing it is kind hearted, which is more than can be said for Ed and her team!. Most of them were a bit odd, with no flesh to their bones, so to speak. Some of this book is repetitive and in places a bit clunky but it was easy enough to read even if it was obvious who did it. I prefer to find it much harder to work out who is the criminal. Not really gripping, but intriguing enough to keep reading.

New author for me but pleasantly surprised. Thank you for the approval and look forward to a book relationship with other reads in the future,

The Taken Girls is a thriller which is different to others in the genre. Usually the victim gets picked up - is brutally killer - and the body is found after an indeterminate amount of time. In this book however, our victims are kidnapped, impregnated, and returned.

I find myself unable to decide on how much I liked or disliked this book. I felt like it was much longer than it could have been, there were a few times where information was unecessarily repeated (almost word for word) and I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

However, I did like the overall storyline - and thought that DI Edina was an intriguing character - even if some of her choices were hard to believe. The investigation is detailed, and it leads us down a number of paths with surprises thrown in. I feel like some of the questions that are left unresolved are down to the author seeing a sequel on the way.

This is an entertaining enough read, and despite the slight problems I had with it, it kept me going to the end. A good page turner for the poolside, but overall, one that probably won't stay with me for long. Obviosly, you may get on with it better than I did. ;-)

This was a very tense, crime based thriller. Lots of twists and turns and an unexpected conclusion. Good read.

This is a crime thriller and a debut novel.
The author has managed to create a group of detectives, based in Canterbury. One newly arrived, the others already established. The angst between them is palpable to begin with. Will things change as they try to find the missing teenagers?

I won't say any more for fear of spoiling the story. Suffice to say that the book develops in an interesting way and builds to a tense conclusion.

On the basis of this novel I will look out for future books by G.D. Sanders. I wonder if DI Edina Ogbourne will feature again

I give my thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for a copy in exchange for this review.

Fantastic. I read this in one sitting, could not put it down! A great debut by GD Sanders, and I will wait with eagerness for the next titles!

I was really gripped by this book. Didn't work out the culprit until it was revealed either. I didn't take to the character of Ed that much and had no strong feelings about her either way. I often find it's like this at the start of a series though and the main character grows on me in subsequent books. That will probably be the case here as I didn't dislike her. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from the author.

A very good read which builds and maintains its tension throughout. I would recommend for fans of crime thrillers

The Taken Girls is a very good debut crime novel and is the first in the DI Edina Ogborne series.

Ed (Edina) is transferred from The MET to Canterbury, reasons for her transfer are explained as the story unfolds. For Ed, this means a new team, a new area and a case of a missing girl as she begins her new posting.

Ed is a character that I didn’t really warm to, but then I don’t expect to like every character I come across, and it really didn’t take anything from my impression of the story., she came across as a loner but her team do gradually take to her. She is hesitant and respectful and her apprehension is shown as she gets to know her new colleagues and vice versa. I could feel the way the team started to gel as they began to work together.

The case is an unusual one for a couple of reasons. The missing girl was abducted and then returned unharmed. Then there is the what happened after the return of the girl. I know I am being vague and I really mean to be as I don’t want to let slip any of the important details. The part after the girl is returned is definitely thought-provoking and also gives different perspectives into a very personal choice subject.

This is a good paced novel and it did not take me long before I found myself caught up within it. There are a couple of perspectives that the story is told by, and for one of the characters, it gives a slightly sinister feeling.

The plot itself is told in quick chapters as Ed and the team get to grips with this case. It leads to further discoveries of an older case and turns up some very interesting leads. I didn’t know who the culprit was until the author started to lace the pieces of the puzzle in order and things started to slot into place.

I thought this was an enjoyable read, it does have the feel of the first in a series and I enjoyed getting to know Ed, even though I didn’t really warm to her that much. There are a few cast members that I would like to see in the next book. This is an ideal read for those who like a police procedural crime read.

It’s one I would recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and once i started i found it hard to put down. This book kept me guessing right until the end. A gripping thriller with a twist. A determined DI Ed Ogbourne, who after being relocated, needed to prove herself to get the respect from her new colleagues. I didn't want the book to end and will certainly be on the lookout for more books by G D Sanders

Very good read with an interesting concept. Quite disturbing in parts. I liked all of the characters and found the story flowed well.

The Taken Girls is a unique take on the usual abduction stories in that girls are being taken but returned seemingly unharmed a short while later. It is down to DI Edina Ogborne (Ed) to find out just what the heck is going on.

Ed is a complex character and I have to admit that I found her frustrating and quite difficult to like particularly because of some of the decisions she makes in her personal life but she did end up growing on me by the end however, I'm not going to lie ... it was hard going. Having said that, this makes her all the more believable and if this is a start of a series, I am really interested to see how she develops and grows.

Written at a pretty good pace, although a little slow at times, with a few twists along the way, this book is a decent debut and G D Sanders is yet another author to put on my radar.

My thanks go to the publisher, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review of which this is.

Good book this, plot dark and disturbing, enjoyed all the twists and turns. Suggest using a different advisor next time regarding girls fertility patterns!!! Apart from couple of implausible plot lines, this book was great. Look forward to another from this author

This was a fantastic debut novel! Full of twists and turns and comes with plenty of suspects to keep you guessing.

The story follows Ed a detective who basically has to take the blame/fall after having an indiscretion with a senior colleague, transferred to Canterbury to become an detective Inspector she is thrown head first into a kidnapping/missing girl investigation which only gets more chilling and sinister as the novel progresses.

As I said at the beginning of this review this book has a fantastic amount of suspects and it definitely keeps you guessing right up to the end. Ed was a brilliant main character although she does have a terrible habit of not thinking before she leaps and getting herself into the most damaging positions. While this isn't the fastest paced book i was so engrossed by the storyline and the characters I just couldn't wait for all to be revealed, an absolute cracking debut thriller from G.D.Sanders and I cannot wait to read more from the author and more about Ed.

Thank you so much to Sabah at Avon for the E-ARC and for asking me to take part in the blog tour

The Taken Girls is a fast paced and gripping debut novel by G D Sanders. DI Edina Ogborne having just been transferred to Canterbury is faced with a challenging case of multiple abductions spanning over a decade.
She certainly doesn’t do herself any favours by having a relationship with her estate agent whilst trying to find a place to live!
The story although a page turner lacks depth when it comes to the characters and to my mind a few flaws. The first is the knife fight in the pub between McNally and five detectives. I know it was used as a device to show Edina’s effectiveness and maybe warm her colleagues to her but McNally or any other villain just wouldn’t do that. Similarly Ed’s needs lacked all degree of professionalism being on the job and in her new job in a similar number of hours. Her boss, Chief Superintendent Addler, lacked the leadership skills which her rank would have demanded. It’s all too easy to paint someone like that as both a buck passer and trophy hunter but a total lack of EQ too? Finally the finale dragged on a bit too long. I am sure subsequent novels will build on the success of The Taken Girls.

3.5☆ A Unique Crime Plot
(Rounded down to a 3☆ for Amazon and Goodreads)

The Taken Girls is a debut book in a new crime fiction series.

I had mixed feelings when reading this book.
I found the beginning introduction to DI Ed Ogborne a little disjointed. I felt at times, it was like I was reading a second or third book, and I wasn't being given the full story.
Don't get me wrong it's ok to keep the reader guessing but when it's a new Book I want to be able to warm to my characters quiet quickly.

But Ed wasn't a particularly likeable character. She is a deeply flawed Character, makes plenty of poor choices which lead to her being kicked out of the MET. Unfortunately she doesn't really redeem herself, that said she was a good detective.

The story is about kidnapped girls who disappear then they are bought back to discover they are pregnant. Which I know is all very odd. It's rare an abducted person is returned.
I thought the premise of this story was intriguing, unique and handled really well.

The pace was slower than I'm used to with crime fiction reads. I feel that the length could of been shorter as it felt as times parts were drawn out.
But I did enjoy the suspense between the abducter and Lucy.
It certainly kept me guessing as to who the abducter was.

Overall this was a well written, good debut novel with a unique crime story with interesting characters.
I do believe it has the potential to be a really good crime fiction series. I just would of liked it to be a bit faster paced, more gripping suspense and tension, but that is just my personal taste for this genre.
I'm intrigued to see what's next for this new series.

Thank you to Avon books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.